Karasu
by Android raptor
Summary: 08th crappyness from A.r., centering on Ghinius 9-10 years before the OYW. Ghinius x Original Character. FINALLY UPDATED! Chapter 12 now up!
1. Meeting

Welcome to A.r.'s wonderful fic thingy that probably sucks. If your an action fan, turn back now. You won't find that here, after all, it takes place 9-10 years before the OYW. And if you a fan of that other action, you won't find that here either. And if you absolutely hate original characters, don't read. OK, ONTO THE FIC!!!!! Disclaimer: A.r. no own Gundam, please no sue.  
  
Karasu (Raven)  
  
Introduction  
  
Inside a hospital room, a young girl, 17 or so, lay in bed. She was comatose, hooked up to a mess of tubes and wiring. A young man 's hand clinged to her deathly pale one, occasionally stroking her thinning jet- black hair. Tears streamed from his beautiful blue eyes, and he bared a solemn expression. His hair was a dull gold, and he looked as though he desperately needed sleep.  
"Please wake up" he murmured softly "Please"...  
  
Chapter 1: Meeting  
  
Mid-September, U.C. 0069  
  
"I hear we have a new student."  
"Huh, who, what's he like."  
"It's a girl I hear." Whispered a gaggle of 11th graders, currently in science, their 3rd period class.  
Ghinius sat in his seat, not talking, not joining in on the ruckus of whispers and mummers. He, like everyone else, was curious about the "New Student" everyone else was talking about, but decided to keep his curiosity to himself. He was always like that, somewhat introverted, but he had a hard life. His mother was an alcoholic, and had abandoned him and his sister, Ayna, when he was 9, because she was having an affair with another man. But he was trying to forget his childhood, and enjoy the present.  
"Class, we have a new student." Boomed the teacher, a short, gray haired woman in her fifties. " Sakura, you may come in."  
And so entered a girl, 16 years of age. She was slim, and slightly petite, 5'7, give or take.  
Ghinius glanced up at the girl, looked her over, at her green and red sailor fuku (the code of dress for girls at the school), her long, raven- lack black hair, her skin, a sickly, almost white color, and finally, at her eyes. Her eyes were deep purple color in color, beautiful.  
Then, an odd feeling came over him, not a feeling of joy, sorrow, or anger, but almost of nostalgia. And then, just for a second or two, she looked back at him, and he had a bizarre vision of her surrounded by ravens and with a pair of large, black, wings.  
"What the hell?!" He thought to himself, puzzled at the vision.  
"Sakura please introduce yourself." the teacher piped in.  
"My name is Satsukimoto Sakura." She replied, her voice slightly high- pitched and somewhat weak sounding, with a hint of a Japanese accent. "I recently moved here from side two."  
And, with that, she took her seat.  
  
Several hours had passed, and the class had gone to lunch. Ghinius talked amongst a group of boys, or at least tried to, because he couldn't stop staring at Sakura, the new girl.  
"Hey Ghin, why are you lookin' at that new girl, do ya think she's hot or something?" a tall boy with spiky brown hair and brown eyes interrupted.  
He himself didn't now exactly why he was staring, and searched himself for an answer.  
"Oh, um, I'm just thinking about how she must be kind of lonely, she's all by herself." He replied.  
"Well then, go talk to her or somethin'." And at that, the boy pushed him over to her table, rather rudely.  
"Uh, I noticed you all alone here. Do you want some company or something?" He stuttered, flustered somewhat. She just began to blush heavily, and replied, "No thank you, please go away."  
"Well, I just thought you might want some company, you're all by yourself."  
"Please leave me alone." He stumbled away, even more flustered than before.  
"So, how'd it go?" Questioned the boy  
"She said she doesn't want any company."  
"Weird girl."  
"Maybe she's just kind of shy."  
"Whatever."  
  
Ghinius arrived home, and as soon as he walked in the door, Ayna came running.  
"Hiiiiiiiii big brother!"  
"Hello, Ayna."  
"So, you still going out with that carrot-head girl?"  
"You mean Renee? How many times have I told you I don't like her. She forced me to go out with her. And don't call her carrot-headed either. Anyway, what mischief did you get into today?"  
"Nothin', just did stupid stuff at school today, and after that I had to play with Norris."  
"Well, good for you."  
"That's not good! Norris is BOR-ING!"  
"I was being sarcastic."  
After that, he headed to his room, to get some peace, but as soon as he laid down on his bed, he had another bizarre vision of Sakura, this time one of the two together, then she dissolved with the vision.  
"Weird, I must need some sleep, I'm getting delirious."  
  
Sakura arrived at her group home. She had been living at group homes ever since she was nine, due to the fact that, when she was seven, her parents died in a shuttle accident. After that, she went to live with her Grandfather, until he died two years later. She had been shuffled around the colonies ever since, going from group home to group home. She didn't really like this, but at least she was back at her birthplace, Zum City.  
"I'm here guys." She said as she arrived, and as she said this, several children came running.  
"Sakura! Your back."  
"How was your new school, was it scary?" Questioned the children.  
"Settle down, I'll tell you. Yes, it was a bit scary, but I survived."  
"Were there any cute boys?" Asked a girl.  
"There were a few, and this one blond one that I think liked me, but I was to shy to talk to him. Now please, let me rest, I'm tired."  
She want to her bed to rest, but became immersed in thought.  
"What was with that boy, any way." She thought, "I got a strange feeling when he walked over, not a bad feeling, but a good one, and I could sense he was nervous."  
And slowly, she drifted to sleep.....  
  
Well, what you think? It probably sucks, but I tried. And suggestions, corrections, etc, please e-mail to me. ARIGATO!!!!! 


	2. Ravengirl

OK, next chapter. Bye Bye.  
  
A few days later  
  
Chapter 2: Raven Girl  
  
The next day, Ghinius raced to class. He was late for Biology, the same class Sakura was in, and ran to get there. Suddenly, he turned a corner, and ran straight into her. Books went flying, and once the dust settled, he discovered that he was laying right on top of her.  
"Please get off of me." She said, meekly.  
"Oh, um, I'm so sorry," He said as he got off of her "Are you OK? Let me help you pick up your things."  
"I'm fine, thank you." As he was picking up, underneath a book he found what appeared to be a miniature eagle, except it was made out of paper!  
"Hey, what's this?" He asked.  
"It's an eagle,"  
"Yes I know that, but it's made out of paper,"  
"It's origami, paper folding. It's my hobby. Now, please, I'm fine. You can leave now." They had finished picking up the books and things, and Ghinius decided to walk with Sakura to class. He had that same strange feeling when he was with her, and she could sense it.  
"Hey, will you teach me how to make one of those origamis?"  
"I guess, and they're not called origamis, they're called models, and why are you following me?" She spoke nervously, her heart racing.  
"Well, since we're in the same class for this period, I thought we might as well walk together, and we're here, I hope you know."  
  
It was now lunchbreak, but as soon a Ghinius sat down, a girl with short red hair and blue eyes stormed up to him.  
"Hello Ghinius, I saw you walking with that new girl, and you know damn well that your MINE,"  
"Renee, Renee, I ran into her and knocked her over. I helped her pick up her things, and since we're in the same class, I walked her to it."  
"Well, don't start anything." She then walked off. Ghinius began to glance around the room, and noticed Sakura outside in the courtyard, feeding large, black birds. Since juniors and above were allowed to roam as they pleased during lunch, and out of pure curiosity, he went outside to see what she was doing.  
"Hey, Sakura, what are you doing," he said. Startling her, she looked up.  
"Oh, it's...it's you again. Why did you follow me, I don't even know your name."  
"It's Ghinius, and what are those birds that your feeding, crows?"  
"They're not crows, they're ravens."  
"Ah, like the poem, the one by Poe,"  
"Yes,"  
"How can you stand to be near those things, they're symbol of death, they eat dead things,"  
"Yes they eat dead things, but they're not a symbol of death. If they didn't eat dead things, no new things could be born. Without death, their would be no life. And that's why they're my favorite animal,"  
"Nice, anyway, I never could understand that poem,"  
"Well, basically, the speaker is thinking at night, about a lost love. A raven flutters in, and he is overcome by the raven as a symbol of death, that it drives him insane,"  
"Sorry to change the subject, but why are you so shy? You run off whenever someone gets near you," He said, slightly annoyed.  
"I don't know exactly, but it might have to do with my parents deaths. They died when I was seven,"  
"Listen, My mother abandoned me when I was nine, and I'm not running around, avoiding people, telling them to go away whenever one tries to be nice,"  
"Well, your not a freak like me," she staited, losing control.  
"What do you mean?"  
"If you have to know, ever since my parents deaths, I began to sense things. I could sense people coming, what they're feeling, and other things. I'm a freak,"  
"I...listen, there's got to be somekind of logical explanation," he said, unsure of what to make of her, not knowing whether she was crazy or what.  
"You think I'm crazy don't you,"  
"No...maybe your a psychic," The bell sounded, meaning lunch was over.  
"Well, bye," He said.  
"Goodbye, I guess," she replied, slightly depressed. They then headed off to classes.  
"Goodbye, raven-girl." Ghinius thought to himself as he walked off. Sakura turned her head as he thought this, but he had already gone.  
  
This chappie probably sux too, but any comments, flames, etc, can go to Androidraptoraol.com. 


	3. Rain

Third chappie! Gee, this fic is gonna be long, the pacing being so slow and all, and for once, I would like some reviews. Also, all bad reviews will go towards making future versions (if there are gonna be any) of this story, and other fics, better. Oh, and another note; even though it may not seem like it now, this fic is VERY LOOSELY based off of the true story of Sasaki Sadako. If you know the story, well, I might have just spoiled the ending of this fic, if you don't, well, I'm not gonna spoil it for you   
  
Chapter Three: Rain  
  
Early October, U.C. 0069  
  
Mornings in the Sakhalin house were never that far from ordinary, except for that they were one of the most prominent families on Side 3, and maybe also that Ayna and Ghinius' parents were both gone. So now they were raised largely by the families retainer, Norris Packard. Norris would wake the children, though sometimes, one might not be so willing to get up.  
"Miss Ayna, its time to get up," Norris said as he turned on Ayna's light.  
"Do I have to?" the ten-year-old replied "school's boring and I'm so sleepy," she mumbled as she dragged herself out of bed, making her way downstairs for breakfast. Her brother was already up and fully dressed.  
"Ghin, how come your already dressed and up so early?" she asked,  
"Well Ayna, you would be too if you woke up at two in the morning and couldn't get back to sleep," he replied playfully.  
"Sir, your medication," Norris reminded Ghinius.  
"God, how long do I have to keep taking this crap,"  
"As long as your doctor says,"  
"Better get off it soon, its a hassle," he replied, choking down the cocktail of pills. He had been no stranger to the medical world. Ghinius' health problems started early, being born premature. When he was nine, he came down with a bad case of rheumatic fever, which lasted on and off until he was fifteen. He was also small for his age until then, when, as Ayna says, he "Growed like a weed."  
"Sir, you might want to walk to school, the doctor says you need some fresh air," Norris staited.  
"That's what I was planning to do," He replied, heading out the door.  
  
The rest of the day was typical, and Ghinius was walking home, when he ran into Sakura.  
"Oh, it's you again, Sakura," He said, slightly suprised.  
"Um, hi, I guess," She replied nervously.  
"Want to walk with me?"  
"I guess,"  
"There you go again, Little-Miss-Antisocial,"  
"I'm not that shy, am I?"  
"Yes you are, but your getting better. You didn't tell me to go away," He said, hoping to cheer her up, "hey, do you have any off those origami models with you?"  
"Yes I do, Ghinius," She answered, pulling an intricately folded dragon out of her backpack.  
"Wow, that pretty delicate looking, how difficult was it to make?"  
"High-intermediate, which means it was pretty difficult,"  
"Fascinating," He said, not noticing the clouds gathering. Small drops of rain began to fall.  
"Looks like it's starting to rain," Said the blond.  
"Oh no," She said, trying to put her dragon away, "And where I live is pretty far,"  
"Well, you'll just have to come to my house," He answered, "Run, or you'll get soaked,"  
The two ran as fast as they could, and when they reached the gates to the Sakhalin mansion, they were both soaking wet. Ghinius opened the door, only to find Ayna staring back at him.  
"Got caught in the rain, Big Brother?" She questioned, and then noticed Sakura, "Hey, who's that, your girlfriend?"  
"She's not my girlfriend, she's just a girl from school. I was walking with her from school, when the rain started, and she lives further away from here, so, I guess she's going to stay until the rain stops," He explained. They both entered, dripping water all over the tile floor.  
"Well, looks like we'll have to change clothes," Ghinius said to Sakura, "and I thought colony life wasn't supposed to be so unpredictable,"  
"Well, what can I wear," Sakura asked.  
"You can wear some of my clothes, I'm not that much bigger than you, and I could put your clothes in the dryer, so you can wear them when the rain stops,"  
"Well, thank you. I probably need to call the group home to tell them I'll be late,"  
"Well, you'd better change first. Don't want to get water all over the floor,"  
"Right," She said as she followed him to his room. When they got there, he dug threw his dresser and found her an old shirt and some shorts.  
"Thank you, but, um, what about my, um, you know, undergarments?" She began to blush very heavily at this.  
"Oh, um, sorry, I guess you'll just have to keep those on. Unless, of course you want to where mine or Aynas, which would be too small,"  
"I'll take the first option,"  
"Well, you'll have to leave while I change, or, since I have a bathroom in my room, I could change in there while you change in the room, or vice-versa,"  
"Well, okay, but don't peep,"  
  
"Same to you," He replied teasingly as he walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Sakura didn't start to change immediately though; being curious, she began to look around Ghinius' room.  
"Gee, it's so big and fancy," She thought, admiring his room, "I haven't had my own room in years, and he probably gets everything he wants," She started to change, when she heard him ask "Hey Sakura, are you done changing?"  
"Nope, not yet," She said as she finished, "now I am."  
He walked out the bathroom to find her changed into his old clothes. Then, the odd feeling came over him again, but this time, it was mixed with another emotion: love. He wondered if maybe he was falling for her, and if he was, what would he tell Renee? He never really loved Renee in the first place, why he was going out with her he didn't know, should he dump her? Questions flew through his mind at a million miles per hour.  
"I think I should call the group home now," Sakura interrupted Ghinius' thoughts, "where is the phone?"  
"There's one in the kitchen," He replied, "I'll take you to it," He led her to the kitchen, where Ayna was eating dinner.  
"Hey, aren't those your clothes she's wearing?"  
"Hers and mine were wet, so I put them in the dryer,"  
"Oooh, you like her,"  
"He only likes me as a friend," Sakura said, "Ghinius, what relation is she to you?" She whispered.  
"She's my sister, her name's Ayna," Just then, Norris walked in and noticed Sakura.  
"Sir, who is she, and why is she in your clothes?" He asked.  
"She's his giiiiiirlfriend," Ayna interrupted.  
"Ayna, shut up, she's not my girlfriend, she's a girl from school who I was walking with and we both got caught in the rain and had to change. Our clothes are in the dryer," Ghinius explained, "Hey Sakura, you want anything to eat?" He asked.  
"No thank you, I'm fine,"  
"What about the phone?"  
"Oh yes, couldn't forget that," She said as she walked over to the phone and began to dial.  
"Who's she calling?" Ayna questioned.  
"None of your business, now be quiet, she's on the phone,"  
Sakura talked on the phone for a few minutes, explaining the situation. Afterwards, she hung up and turned to Ghinius.  
"It's still raining," She commented  
"Yeah, that's colony life for you. Try to make things as unpredictable as earth," He replied, "Say, you want to go back to my room, listen to some music or something?"  
"Well, okay,"  
"Sir, don't forget to take your medication at seven," Norris interrupted.  
"I won't," He said as he and Sakura walked to his room.  
"Ghinius, who was he?" Sakura asked.  
"That's Norris. He looks after us since our parents are gone. Don't worry, he always acts like that," He said as he opened the door to his room, "so, what do you want to do?"  
"What kind of music do you have?"  
"Well, mostly some really old stuff," He said as he popped a Nirvana CD into the player.  
"What's that you put in?"  
"Nirvana, it's some really old stuff, but it's good," He said as the player launched into "Smells Like Teen Spirit".  
"It's a little loud,"  
"It's supposed to be, it's rock, but if it's too loud I'll turn it down,"  
"No, it's okay. I kind of like it, actually,"  
"Well anyway, what's this about a group home, you live in one?"  
"Yes I do, remember, my parents are dead, so I live in one,"  
"Why do you go to my school then?"  
"Well, when I turned sixteen, I inherited my parents money. I wanted to get a good education, so I got permission to go,"  
"Looks like the rain stopped," Ghinius said, looking out the window, "I bet your clothes are dry too," He went to go check, "they are,"  
"Good," She said as he handed her the clothes. He left the room while she changed, and when she came out, wished her goodbye as she walked out the door.  
"Bye," He said as she left.  
"Bye,"  
"Bye Ghinius' new girlfriend," Ayna said, butting in.  
"Ayna, quiet," He replied. He looked up to see if Sakura was still there, but she was gone.  
  
Well, this has been the longest chapter yet, I think. I hope the characters aren't to OOC. If they are, put it in your review. Remember, comments can also go to Androidraptoraol.com. ARIGATOU!!!!! 


	4. Love

Hi ya'll! Wow, I'm on chapter four. Like I said, this is gonna' be long, so please R&R!!!!!  
  
Chapter Four: Love  
  
Mid-October, U.C. 0069  
  
It had only been a few weeks since the whole "rain" incident, but Ghinius was now overcome by an emotion he had never truly felt before: love for another. Of course he loved his family, but this was romantic love, and something much more than mere teenage infatuation. He had fallen for Sakura, even though he hadn't seen her much over the past few weeks, but wondered; did she feel the same way about him? He knew she probably didn't, but was hopeful. So, he walked to school, as usual, but hoping this day he would know for sure.  
He arrived at school, only to run into none other than Renee. He wondered if she knew about his relationship with Sakura, and hoped she didn't.  
"Well, well, don't you have some explaining to do. I heard about you walking the new girl home a few weeks ago,"  
"Yes, so?"  
"There's something between you, isn't there?"  
"Renee, look, it's none of your business, and plus, I don't think we should be together anymore,"  
"What!"  
"It's over," He said as he disappeared into the crowd, and practically running Sakura over. He had no idea what to say, being that he just broke up with his girlfriend and now loved her.  
"Um, sorry Sakura," He said nervously, his heart pounding.  
"It's ok, but you sound nervous, what's wrong?"  
"Listen, it's a long story, I'll tell you at lunch," He said as he walked off, thoroughly embarrassed.  
In the next class, he just could not pay attention. How could listen he to the teacher garble endlessly about the history of the colony and some man named Zeon Zum Daikun when all he could think about was Sakura? The next classes up till lunch were just the same, Ghinius couldn't even remember if he had homework or not, and when lunch came, he wasn't ready to tell Sakura how he felt, but knew he had to. He sat down by Sakura, and began to explain.  
"Well, what's wrong?" She asked.  
"Well, Sakura, there's allot of stuff going on, I just broke up with my girlfriend, and um, I guess that's all," He lied.  
"No, I think there's more, I sense your still nervous,"  
"There you go with that psychic stuff, look, you may be wrong. Anyway, do you have any paper so you can teach me some origami?" He stated, trying to change the subject.  
"Well, yes I do, what would you like me to teach you?"  
"How about a crane?"  
"That sounds good, here, paper for you," she said as she handed him paper, "and some for me."  
"Well, what do I do?"  
"Let me show you," she said as she began to fold it in half, "you do this, and then you have to make what's called a preliminary base, like this," she folded it again, and Ghinius repeated the folds, "Next, you have to make a bird base, like this," she held up a perfect base, while Ghinius' wasn't so perfect, "I'm sorry, but your doing it wrong, let me help you," she said, and proceeded in showing him, "next, you just fold these flaps to the center, fold these points up, fold one down, spread the wings, and you have a crane," She held up a perfect crane.  
"Sorry, but I don't think I did it right," Ghinius said as he held a mutilated piece of paper that only vaguely resembled a crane.  
"That's ok, it takes practice," She began to help him fold another one. After a few that looked like they had been hit by a truck, he began to get the hang of it, and soon folded a near-perfect crane. The entire time though, even though he appeared to be calm, he was actually quite tense, and his heart raced throughout the ordeal, until the bell rang.  
"Well, looks like lunch is over, and we haven't even eaten," Ghinius said.  
"Well, I wasn't very hungry anyway, so goodbye," she said as they walked off in different directions.  
"I know there was much more on his mind than that, I could sense it, but yet I feel calm around him, and maybe even feel love, what's wrong with me?" She thought, possibly falling for him as well.  
Ghinius still could only think about Sakura the rest of the day, wondering about her feelings for him. Little did he know, she was beginning to feel the same way about him. Finally, when school was over, he thought he could clear his head of the thoughts of Sakura, when he ran into her again while walking home. He began to wonder if he should confess his feelings to her now, and if he did, what would she do? But she interrupted his thoughts.  
"Hello again," She greeted.  
"Hi, seems like deja-vu, doesn't it, just like a few weeks ago,"  
  
"Your nervous again, what's wrong this time?" Ghinius didn't know what to say. Should he tell her now? What would she do? At the same time, Sakura began to feel nervous as well, and the two just stared at each other for a few seconds, before Ghinius began to speak.  
"Sakura, listen. Ever since I met you, I've been getting strange emotions when I'm around you. Over the past few weeks, I couldn't stop thinking about you,"  
"I...I...don't know what to say, no one's ever said anything like this to me," Both of their hearts raced, and neither one knew what to say. Ghinius figured he'd better say something, or never get the chance again.  
"Sakura, I...I love you,"  
"What," She said. Nobody had ever said anything like this to her, and she didn't no how to respond. But, she also began to feel a strange attraction for the blond boy standing next to her. In all her years of fearing people, she finally wasn't afraid, and finally began to feel loved, and felt she should reply, "Oh, Ghinius, you don't know, I've never felt this way before, and," She threw her arms around him, overcome with emotion, and he did the same. The two shared an embrace for a minute, and then broke off, realizing that they both would have to be home.  
"Well, I have to be home," He said.  
"Goodbye," She replied, with tears in her eyes. They walked off, even though neither wanted to be away from each other. Ghinius looked to see if she was still in sight, and to his disappointment, she was gone.  
  
Short chappie, ni? Still, I think it's ok, I'm getting better at this. And don't forget to R&R, if you want to, of course 


	5. Perfectworld

Yet another chapter sweatdrops.  
  
Chapter Five: Perfect-World  
  
Late October, U.C. 0069  
  
Over the next few weeks, Ghinius and Sakuras' relationship had blossomed, and the two began seeing each other regularly. And Ghinius' seventeenth birthday was on the twenty-fourth, and Sakura wanted to get or make him something special, even though he said he didn't want anything. So she was racking her brain to think of an origami model he might like. But it was the weekend, and the two just decided to spend so time together. After hanging out around Zum City, the two headed for the Sakhalin mansion. But, when they got there, they were greeted by Ayna and a purple-haired boy about her age.  
"Hello Ghinius and Ghinius' girlfriend," She chimed.  
"Ayna, shut up about that, and who's that kid, your boyfriend," The blond replied.  
"He's not my boyfriend, he's just a friend, and his name is Garma,"  
"Hey, isn't he that Zabi kid?"  
"Yes I am," Garma mumbled.  
"I think I know your sister. Her name's Kishiria, isn't it?" Sakura said. She had heard things about her, and seen her around the school. It was rumored that she was going to a military academy next year, one that her elder brother had started. She also remembered hearing something about their father and something know as the Republic of Zeon, but didn't know what to make of it.  
"Yeah, I think I've seen her too," Ghinius replied, "she's going to military school next year, right?"  
"Yup, and I'm going there when I turn sixteen too," Garma answered.  
"Come on Sakura, lets go,"  
"Oooooh, friends with benefits," Ayna said out of the blue.  
"Ayna! Stop with that, and how do you know about that, you're ten," Ghinius said, angrily.  
"People at school,"  
"Come on Ghinius, lets leave," Sakura said, "and go wander around some more,"  
"Yeah, I guess we should, she has a friend over and all,"  
The two walked around the city for a while, until they decided to rest on a hill in a large field. They reached the top of the hill to realize that they had a gorgeous view of the surrounding area. So they laid down on the hill, and began to chat.  
"Look at the view, pretty, isn't it?" Ghinius asked.  
"Yeah, it is," She replied.  
"Hey Sakura, have you ever been to Earth?"  
"Once, I think, when I was little,"  
"Was it as beautiful as this?"  
"Yes, it is far more beautiful than a colony will ever be," She said, remembering how she went to Earth with her parents on a business trip once. She had gone to the west coast of North America, and loved it, though now she barely remembered it.  
"Didn't you have to get special permission?" He questioned.  
"Yes, I believe,"  
"Sakura, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but how did your parents die?"  
"Shuttle accident. Their shuttle collided with a cargo ship, and both exploded. They have graves here, but there are no bodies," She said, sounding depressed. But she didn't tell him that she almost went on that fateful trip, and the only reason she didn't was that, right before they went, she got a terrible feeling about it. That, she supposed, was the start of her strange abilities. She looked at herself as a freak, because she could sense people, what they were feeling, and to some extent, what they were thinking. She hated that, because that made her not normal, different, and if she told anybody, they looked at her as if she were mad. She had few friends, Ghinius being the only one that was actually her age, and the only person she had ever truly loved.  
"I'm sorry, I know how it feels," He said, interrupting the silence.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well, as you know, my mother abandoned our family when I was nine, she ran off with another man or something. My father just couldn't cope, and started abusing heroin and achohol. When I was fourteen, someone found him unconscious in the street, and he died a few days later from a drug overdose,"  
"Do you think it was on purpose?"  
"We don't know, could have been,"  
"Oh, I didn't know,"  
"Anyway, it's getting late, they'll start turning off the lights soon, so let's go back. You have to go to the group home?"  
"No, I can call them and tell them where I am, they don't care,"  
They began to walk back, and when they got to the mansion, Garma had left, and they found Ayna eating dinner. She immediately informed them that they were late, and that their dinner was cold. Ghinius quickly shushed Ayna, and the two began to eat. Afterward, they sat down on a couch, and turned on the T.V..  
"Sakura, do you want a shower or anything?" He asked, interrupting the evening news.  
"I guess I'll get one, but don't try to peep or anything,"  
"I'm not like that," He said as he showed her the way to the bathroom.  
"And If you need some clothes, I have some old ones that you can wear, like last time,"  
"Okay," She said as she stepped into the shower, locking the door behind her. While she was taking a shower, she began to get a strange feeling, like something horrible was going to happen to her or Ghinius. She stepped out of the shower with that same feeling, and put on some clothes that Ghinius had provided. As she unlocked the door, she suddenly felt extremely dizzy, and grabbed onto the door for support. Ghinius, who was standing outside the door, took notice, and helped her up.  
"Sakura, are you okay?" He said, sounding worried. As Sakura looked up to him, she suddenly got a vision of him with a noose around his neck. Even though it frightened her, she said nothing, though didn't know what to make of it.  
"Yeah, I'm okay, guess I stood up too fast, or something,"  
"Your clothes are in the wash, so you won't have to stay in my old things for long," He said as he walked into the shower, "well, I'm going to get my shower, you can go watch t.v. or something," Sakura then walked off to go do just that, but as she sat down, Ayna walked in. She began questioning Sakura right away, and Sakura tried to ignore it as best she could.  
"Soooo, where's my brother, and why are you in his clothes?"  
"He's in the shower, and my clothes are in the wash," She said as Ghinius walked into the room. He immediately told Ayna to leave, which she did, and plopped down next to Sakura.  
"Sakura, I know this may sound stupid, but has anyone told you how beautiful you are?" He asked. She began to blush.  
"Um, no, never,"  
"Well, someone just did," He smiled and took hold of her hand. Surprisingly, she didn't try to move it away, and instead responded with a gentle squeeze. Before she could do anything else, he put his lips on hers, and the two became enthralled in a kiss. Sakura was overcome by a feelings of warmth and ecstasy, and when they stopped, she was practically crying from joy.  
"Ghinius, I...I don't know what to say," She said, looking deep into his sapphire-blue eyes.  
"You don't have to say anything,"  
"Your birthday is coming up soon, what do you want?" She asked, changing the subject.  
"I don't really want anything," He replied. The affection of another was all he ever wanted, and now he finally had it. All those years of being beaten by his mother, struggling with illness, all vanished, because of her.  
"Well, if you don't want anything, then, that's what you'll get," She said as she yawned, and began to doze off. Ghinius took hold of her, and they fell asleep with Sakura lying on his chest, lulled to sleep by his heartbeat. They seemed to have everything now, and the pains of their pasts seemed to be forgotten. But little did they know that their world would soon come crashing down...  
  
Ooooh, suspense!! What's gonna' happen? As if anyone cares, but I'm still gonna' write this, no matter how much it sucks. 


	6. Symptoms

Yet more.......  
  
Chapter Six: Symptoms  
  
Late November, U.C. 0069  
  
Almost a month had passed since Sakura had stayed at Ghinius' house, and she still couldn't get over it. She was overcome with emotion, and enjoyed every minute she spent with him. So, one Saturday morning, she was sleeping peacefully, until she was awoken by some of the children at the group home where she lived.  
"What is it kids?" She asked groggily.  
"One of the ravens is acting weird," replied a child, who was referring one to the local ravens.  
"Let me see," She said as she got up, lead by the children to the outdoor playground, where she found a raven lying on the ground, breathing heavily.  
"Oh no, it looks pretty bad," She said.  
"What do you think's wrong with it," A child questioned.  
"I don't know, but it looks sick,"  
"What should we do?" Asked another child.  
"I don't think there's much we can do, we'll just have to let nature take its course," She replied, though she did wish there was something she could do for it; she hated to see things die before their time, but she knew that it was natures way.  
The raven died a few hours later, and Sakura and the others decided to bury it. Ghinius had decided to see her, and walked to the group home to discover Sakura and the others burying the raven.  
"Hey Sakura, what are you doing with the kids?"  
"Oh, one of the ravens that live around here died," She said, sounding slightly depressed, "we're burying it,"  
"Hey Sakura, who's that," Asked a child.  
"Let's just say I'm her boyfriend," Ghinius interrupted, "anyway, I brought you a gift," He said as he handed her a pack of patterned origami paper.  
"Oh, it's beautiful, thank you," She said, and then got up and hugged him. He responded to her embrace, and kissed her on the cheek. But as he let go of her, she began to feel dizzy, just like when she stepped out of the shower a few weeks ago. Ghinius took notice and caught her just as she was about to fall.  
"You okay?" He asked, sounding worried.  
"Oh, yes, I'm fine," She replied, even though she knew that something was wrong. She had been feeling somewhat ill over the past few weeks, but she told no one. The main reason was for fear of what could be wrong, that it could tear apart her relationships, especially the one she had with Ghinius. She hoped that it would pass, that it was just a cold or something, and she would soon feel better. Yes, it is just a cold, she thought, or at least wanted to think.  
"Are you sure your fine, you look kind of under-the-weather," He asked.  
"I'm probably just a little tired,"  
"Anyway, did you hear about all those riots that have been happening lately? Something about Garma and Kishiria's father and brother forming an anti-Earth group called the Duchy of Zeon, and that one of his brothers was assassinated," He said as the two had a seat on a nearby bench.  
"My sympathy goes out to him, the poor boy having to go through so much at that age,"  
"Yeah, but I can understand why they're so angry at the Earth, not letting the colonies rule themselves and all,"  
"Yes, but I hope they don't go to war or anything, all that ever does is bring needless death and suffering,"  
"But I though you said 'without death, there could be no life.' "  
"Yes, but not unnaturally, like in war. But I know, as long as there is humanity, there will be wars. Unfortunately, humans just can't seem to get along," She sighed as she looked up at the artificial sky. She somewhat agreed with Ghinius about the colonies not being allowed to rule themselves, but didn't want a needless conflict. But she could sense that there would probably be one.  
"Anyway, Garma and Ayna have been getting along well lately," Ghinius changed the subject, "it almost makes me wonder if they're in love or something," He was referring to the fact that Garma was always getting invited to come and play with Ayna, and vice-versa. It might have had something to do with the current events that made Ayna one of the few people he could relate with.  
"Oh really, how adorable, they would make such a cute couple," Sakura replied.  
"Yeah, I think Garmas' father wants that when they get older," He commented, "hey, you want to come to my house again?"  
"No, I think I've been there enough lately, the staff at the home might begin to suspect something,"  
"Well, since I've got nothing better to do, I'll hang around here,"  
"I guess I should show you around then," She lead him to the main office, where several people sat. Not knowing if it was all right for Ghinius to see the building, she asked for permission from one of the staff. He said it was okay, and so she took him first to the girls bedrooms. It was a large room, with about twenty bunk-beds, each with a dresser by it.  
"Are you sure I'm supposed to be here," He asked nervously.  
"In the daytime it's okay," She then lead him to a bunk-bed in the middle of the room. Nothing was different about it, except the dresser beside it was covered with origami models.  
"As you can see, this is mine," She stated, "I sleep on the top bunk,"  
"Wow, you sure have decorated the dresser," He said as he picked up one of the origami models, which was made out of bright pink paper, "what's this one, it looks like a flower or something,"  
"It's a lily, to be exact,"  
"It's pretty, you're very talented,"  
"Yeah, and the kids love it, they always want me to make them things,"  
"Sakura, how did you get into origami?"  
"Well, my parents taught me a few models when I was younger, and it just grew from there after they died," She remembered when parents first taught her how to make her first model, a crane. The told her an old legend that a person who folds a thousand cranes will get a wish granted. She didn't know if she believed it, and never tried to fold one thousand cranes. After all, she had nothing to wish for.  
They stayed in the bedroom for a few minutes, then Sakura lead Ghinius to the dinning room. It was a large room, and looked much like a school cafeteria.  
"This is the dinning room, as you can see," She said, "the food here isn't that good, but at least it's food,"  
"Like school food,"  
"Yes, kind of," She giggled, recalling how terrible the school food is, "but not quite that bad," Next she took him to the gym. The gym was also large, and there was all sorts of sports equipment strewn about it.  
"This is the gym, we play sports and stuff in here,"  
"Ugh, it smells in here,"  
"Yeah, but that's something you get used to, plus it can't be much worse than the gym at school," Last, she lead him to the playroom. It was smaller than the other rooms, and it had many toy-filled boxes and toys on the floor.  
"And lastly, this is the playroom, where the younger kids have playtime,"  
"Reminds me of my childhood,"  
"Why, is it the toys or something," She asked, sounding intrigued.  
"Not just that," He responded, "when I was nine, I came down with rheumatic fever, and I've had outbreaks of it on and off since then, and I've spent lots of time in hospitals, and they had playrooms similar to this one,"  
"But you seem very healthy to me,"  
"Well, the doctors say the disease is in remission, because I've been taking medication that finally works,"  
"Well that's good, I don't want to catch it from you," She said, and then noticed that it was getting late, and the lights in the colony would be turned off soon, "Ghinius, I think you should go home, it's getting late, and they don't allow kids who don't live here to spend the night,"  
"Well, I guess I'll leave then," He said, and then took her in his arms and kissed her, "Good bye," He said after they finished. He then started to leave, but Sakura stopped him just as he was walking out the door.  
"Before you leave, I just want to say thank you for everything you've done for me,"  
"Like what?"  
"Your the only person since my parents that I've really trusted and loved, and you've just been there for me when I needed you,"  
"Thank you," He said, and embraced her again, "but I have to get going,"  
"Bye, Ghinius," But as she bid him goodbye, she felt dizzy again. She leaned on a nearby chair for support, and looked up to see if Ghinius was there, because surely he would have helped her up. But he had already left...  
  
Ok, so I didn't do much explaining as to what is gonna' happen, but I promise lots more will be explained in future (and possibly the next) chapter. Like what's up with Sakura getting dizzy all the time (hint: remember, I said this is loosely based off the story of Sasaki Sadako), and what does the raven have to do with this. Anyway, I shall be leaving. Toodles- 


	7. Disease

W00t!! Another chapter!!  
  
Chapter Seven: Disease  
  
Late December, U.C. 0069  
  
Another month had passed, and Ghinius and Sakura were closer than ever. But, Sakura's sickness had not gone away as she had hoped. If anything, it had gotten worse. Though she tried to hid it from him, she could sense that Ghinius knew something was wrong. She was constantly feeling tired, and her skin grew even paler then normal. She knew that he could see this, and that he was uptight about it too. But she denied that she felt ill, for reasons that she didn't even know. And the holidays were coming up, and she couldn't be sick for the holidays. So, she just pretended nothing was wrong. Besides, they were out of school, and she could relax.  
But things were also happening on Side 3. The Sakhalins and the Zabis were also growing closer, and the Zabis were gaining total control of the Side. And ever since Garmas' brother had been assassinated, he and Ayna had been seeing each other even more. There was a feeling that the colonies would go to war with the Earth, though some hoped they wouldn't. But most people at least tried to continue with daily life, preparing for the holidays and such. Ghinius knew exactly what Sakura would want, and was walking home from the store with some new origami books and paper for her. But when he got to the house, he found that Garma was once again over to play with Ayna.  
"Hey Ghinius, whatcha' got in the bag," Ayna questioned at the door.  
"Nothing for you, and I see your little boyfriend is over again," He answered.  
"He's not my boyfriend!" Ayna replied angrily.  
"Yeah, I'm not her boyfriend," Garma piped in.  
"Well you guys sure act closer than to peas in a pod,"  
"Shut up, and I bet that stuff in the bag is for your giiiiiirlfriiiiiiieeeend,"  
"Yes it is, in fact,"  
"Ooooooh, I bet it's a bunch of condoms and stuff,"  
"AYNA! How the hell do you know about this stuff, your ten years old!" Ghinius said, shocked and irritated.  
"Ooooooh, Ayna, your brother said the 'h' word, Ooooooh," Garma butted in.  
"Well, get used to it, it's not that big of a deal," He replied.  
"Ooooooooh, I'm telling Norris," Ayna said as she and Garma ran off. Norris appeared a few minutes later.  
"Ghinius, Miss Ayna says that you said a swear word to her," Norris stated.  
"Yeah, he did," Ayna said accusingly.  
"Yes I did, but it's not a big deal, and she made a sexual remark to me,"  
"No I didn't!"  
"Both of you drop it, Ghinius, don't swear around your sister, Ayna, don't say anything colorful," Norris said, slightly annoyed.  
"But...but...he...what does colorful mean?!" Ayna squealed as Ghinius walked to his room. He put the presents under his bed as he walked in, planning to wrap them later. Afterwards, he walked to the group home to see Sakura. When he got there, he found her making origami with the children. She looked up, sensing he was there.  
"Hello Ghinius," She said as she looked up.  
"Hey Sakura, just decided to visit, what are you making?"  
"Oh, I'm just teaching the children how to make cranes,"  
"That's nice," He said, taking a seat, "so, what are you doing for the holidays?"  
"Well for one, I'll be turning seventeen on the twenty-seventh,"  
"Oh, your birthdays coming up?" He said, surprised.  
"Yes, it's kind of a hassle though, because I get my Christmas and birthday presents on the same day," She replied, "anyway, they have the group home decorated for the holidays, and I helped,"  
"Oh really, what did you do?"  
"I just made some holiday origami, and the staff used it to decorate," She said, but as she finished she felt dizzy again. Ghinius caught her as she fell. He knew she was constantly having these dizzy spells, and though that she should see a doctor. But she refused.  
"Sakura, are you okay, you are always getting dizzy,"  
"I'm fine, really,"  
"Sakura, I know something's wrong, you should see a doctor,"  
"No, I'm fine, I just lost my balance," She said, even though she knew he was right.  
"Sakura, I've also noticed how pale your getting,"  
"Oh, it's just the winter sun," They laid down, and looked up at the few clouds that dotted the artificial sky.  
"Maybe you're right, maybe I'm just worrying too much,"  
"So, Ghinius, what do you want for Christmas," She changed the subject.  
"How about one of your origami models?"  
"Oh, which one?"  
"Anything will be fine," He said as he took hold of her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. They sat up, engaging in a passionate kiss. Afterwards, they decided to walk to Ghinius' house. When they arrived, they were rudely greeted by Ayna and Garma.  
"Oooooooh, it's the 'secret lovers'," Ayna chimed.  
"Ayna, quiet,"  
"He bought presents for you, Ghinius' girlfriend,"  
"AYNA!"  
"Oh my, Ghinius, I think we should leave," Sakura said, trying to hold back giggles.  
"Secret looooooooooooovers," Ayna and Garma sang as Ghinius and Sakura walked upstairs. They got up to his room, and laid down on the bed together. They started to kiss, and Ghinius wrapped his arms around her thin waist. She responded by running her fingers through his light blond hair. Their kiss deepened, and Ghinius moved his arms upwards to Sakuras' shoulders. They stopped kissing for a moment, and simply stared into each others eyes.  
"You're like a living, breathing doll, Sakura, you're beautiful," Ghinius said in the heat of the moment.  
They were just about to resume their ballad of passion, only to be interrupted by a loud "Eeeeeeeeyw!".  
"Eeeeeyw sick!" Ayna squealed, "don't look Garma, they're making out, eeeeeeeeeeeeeyw,".  
"AYNA! What are you doing here!"  
"Nothin', What are YOU doing, big brother?"  
"You know what I'm doing, now leave,"  
"Oooooh, he's gonna' get laid," Garma chimed.  
"Ayna! Garma! Leave! And enough of the sexual comments,"  
"Ghinius, I think we should stop," Sakura said nervously, "I don't like where this is headed,".  
"Ooooooh, she doesn't want it, here that big brother," Ayna said sing- songingly.  
"Out! Both of you!," He said, and Garma and Ayna skipped off. Ghinius shut the door and sat back down on the bed with Sakura, but just to talk this time.  
"Sakura, what did you mean about how you didn't like where this was headed?" Ghinius asked.  
"You know, I was just afraid we were getting a little carried away, romantically that is," She said, sounding nervous and embarrassed at the same time.  
"Oh, so you mean getting carried away with it and having you-know- what,"  
"Exactly,"  
"Anyway, let's get off that topic," He stated, but a few seconds later he noticed blood running down Sakuras' face.  
"Sakura, I think you're having a nosebleed," Ghinius said  
"Oh my," She said as she ran to the bathroom for some tissue. Normally, something like this would not be worrisome, but she had been having nosebleeds constantly for the past few weeks, though this was the first time she had one around Ghinius. But, like the dizzy spells, she told no one, not even him. She walked out of the bathroom holding tissue to her nose, waiting for it to stop.  
"I hope I didn't get blood on the floor," She sounded uptight. Ghinius knew that she was worried about something more than merely getting blood on the floor.  
"It doesn't matter, it can be cleaned," He said, "you want to go home, I mean, since Garma is over, we won't have any peace,"  
"Well, I guess I should,"  
  
"C'mon, I'll walk you," They then walked out the house together. They said little on the walk, though Ghinius did notice that Sakura had to stop and catch her breath numerous times. This further lead him to believe that something was wrong with her. But she wouldn't see a doctor, so what could he do? They finally arrived at the group home, and bid each other fairwell. But on his walk back, all Ghinius could think about was what could be wrong with Sakura. Maybe it was just a cold, or maybe it was something more...  
  
Okay, I know I kept repeating the same stuff in this chapter, but I couldn't think of anything else to write! And I hope this fic isn't too Mary-Sueish, if it is, please tell me so I can work on that. And ANY reviews would be much appreciated, thank you. 


	8. Diagnosis

Yes, I've written another chapter. Is anyone actually reading this?  
  
Chapter Eight: Diagnosis  
  
Mid-January, U.C. 0070  
  
The day had started just as any other. The holidays were over, and everyone was back in school. Ghinius had gotten up, done the usual morning routine, and walked to school. By all means, it seemed like this was going to be a normal day. But little did Ghinius know, this would be the day his life changed forever.  
He had seen little of Sakura until Biology, the class they had together. He sat down, took out his books and things, and glanced at Sakura. He gave her a small smile, and turned back to face the teacher, who began her lecture. He started to zone off, thinking about various things, and glanced a Sakura again. She was jotting down notes, being that Biology was her favorite class. Ghinius turned back, and was about to fall asleep when he heard several gasps and a loud "Oh my God!". He immediately turned around to see Sakura passed out on her desk, and went to her as fast he could.  
"What happened to her?!" He questioned another student, his heart beating at million miles an hour.  
"She...she just passed out," The student responded.  
"Kids, calm down," The teacher boomed.  
Ghinius went up to Sakura, and started calling her name frantically. She gave him no response. The teacher then told him to stop just as the school nurse arrived, and shoed the students, including Ghinius, away.  
"Move away," She said as she checked Sakuras' vital signs, "well, she has a pulse and is breathing, so it looks like she just fainted," She said at last.  
"Should we call an ambulance?" A student questioned.  
"I think we better, just to make sure nothing's wrong with her," The nurse replied.  
The students continued to oooh and aaah, seeing that this sort of thing never usually happens at school. The ambulance soon arrived, just as Sakura began to wake up. Confused as to why everyone was making such a commotion, she looked for Ghinius, who also realized she had awoken. He rushed to her side, trying to get through the crowd that surrounded her.  
"Wh...what happened," She asked groggily.  
"You fainted Sakura, and an ambulance has been called to take you to the hospital," He replied, very shaken-up. The paramedics then rushed into the classroom and loaded her onto a stretcher. But before they left, they had to ask the teacher a few questions.  
"Has she ever fainted before, or came close to fainting?" One of the paramedics asked. The teacher was just about to say no when Ghinius interrupted.  
"Yes she has, I'm her boyfriend so I've been hanging around her a lot, and she's been having 'dizzy spells' all the time," He stated as the paramedics whisked her away. It tore at his heart to see her in such a condition, and even though he desperately wanted to go with her, he knew the school wouldn't let him. He watched the ambulance drive away with her, tearing him up inside.  
All Ghinius could do the rest of the day was worry, luckily, he knew that once school was out he could go to the hospital. But even then, he dreaded what he might learn there. He knew that they would be doing tests on her, and feared they would find something terribly wrong with her. He kept trying to tell himself that there was nothing seriously wrong, that Sakura just was not getting enough iron and was anemic or something. But he just couldn't shake off the thought that something was very, very, wrong with her.  
Later that day  
Finally, school was over, and Ghinius could go see Sakura at the hospital. He arrived there shortly, and asked the receptionist what room she was in. She told him where she was, and he raced there as fast as he could. He went to the pediatric unit on the second floor, and found her sitting in the waiting room. She looked very sullen, and as though she had been crying. Dread shot through Ghinius' body, and he walked over to her.  
"Hey Sakura, are you okay,"  
"Not really,"  
"What did the doctor say?" He asked, dreading her answer.  
"Ghinius...I...I, Ghinius, I have cancer," Ghinius' heart practically stopped with those words. All of his worst fears were true, and he felt as though his body was going completely numb. He barely noticed the doctor walk in a few seconds later.  
"Sakura, I've already called your group home with the news," The doctor, a tall man with short, graying hair boomed, "and I suppose this is your boyfriend," He said as he noticed Ghinius.  
"Yes he is," She replied quietly.  
"Well, she probably told you already, she has been diagnosed with Acute Myelocitic Leukemia,"  
"What does that mean, is she going to be okay?" Ghinius said on the verge of tears.  
"She has cancer of the blood, and we don't know if she is going to be okay," He replied, "she is going to start chemotherapy in a few days," He added.  
"Have you arranged a ride for me to go home, Dr. Higgens?" Sakura asked.  
"Yes, one of the employees at the group home will be picking you up shortly," He said as he left. Ghinius turned to Sakura, and took hold of her hand. She was obviously tired, and leaned on him for support.  
"It's going to be okay, you're not going to die Sakura," He murmured to her, trying to reassure himself more than anyone else. He looked up at a t.v. on the wall, an noticed that the news was on, covering another anti- Earth riot. He watched it for awhile, trying to get his mind off the days events. Dr. Higgens walked in soon after, and told Sakura that her ride was here. She got up and followed him to the elevator, and waved goodbye to Ghinius just as the elevators' doors closed.  
"Well, I guess I should go home too," Ghinius thought to himself. He could barely keep his emotions together on his walk home, but he somehow managed to keep himself from absolutely bawling. Norris was at the front door when he opened it, and he could tell just by looking at Ghinius that something was wrong.  
"Sir, what's the matter, and why are you home so late?" Norris asked.  
"Norris, you know that black-haired girl that came over a while back, my girlfriend? Well, I found out today that she has cancer," He said as a tear fell down his cheek.  
"Sir, I don't know what to say,"  
"Norris, just do me one thing and don't tell Ayna. She won't understand,"  
"Yes sir,"  
"I think I need some time alone now," He said as he walked to his room. He couldn't control his emotions any longer, and started to cry loudly. The only time he had ever been nearly as upset was when his father died. But even then, he never felt this sorrowful. Norris heard him, and even though Ghinius said he wanted to be left alone, he went to comfort him. "Sir, I brought you some tea," Norris said as he entered the room with tea.  
"Thank you, but I don't think it'll help much,"  
"Why don't you tell me about what happened, Sir," Norris asked.  
"Well, she passed out in Biology, they took her to the hospital, did some tests, and when I got there, they told me that she has leukemia,"  
"Oh, I'm sorry to here that,"  
"What if she dies Norris? She's the only person I've ever really loved, and what if she dies?" He said as he burst into tears again.  
"Calm down now, she isn't going to die, don't think those thoughts," Norris tried to reassure him.  
Ayna had heard some commotion, and followed the noise to her brothers room. Was that her brother crying, she wondered. She had only seen him cry once before, and that was when their father died. So she eavesdropped for a while, trying to figure out the reasons behind this. She heard them talk about someone dying, cancer, and other things of the sort. She soon became tired though, being that it was past her bedtime, and went to her room. Ghinius also became tired, and Norris left so he could sleep. But no matter how tired he was, Ghinius could not get to sleep, for he was far to worried about Sakura.  
"Maybe Norris is right, maybe she's going to make it," He thought reassuringly, "but what if she does die, what am I going to do?" The very though brought a tear to his eye. He couldn't imagine how he would live without her, and tried to steer-clear of those thoughts. But he kept thinking them, and it was almost as if something was forcing him to think them. But eventually, he finally went to sleep, and the stress of the days events seemed to ease out of him. But still, tomorrow would probably bring new stresses, and even in his sleep, he still thought of Sakura...  
  
Oooh, I think this was one of the more exciting chapters. And thanks go to kishiria and Vin-sama for reviewing this fic. 


	9. Weakening

Oooh, another chapter...  
  
Chapter Nine:Weakening  
  
Early February, U.C. 0070  
  
It had been a few weeks since Sakura was diagnosed with leukemia, and she had already had chemotherapy once. She was still going to school, but the doctors said that might soon come to an end, for she had been getting weaker. This was taking an immense emotional toll on Ghinius, who worried day and night about her. But still, they tried to keep their lives as normal as possible, despite recent events. So, today was just the same as any other was for the past few weeks.  
"Hey Sakura," Ghinius greeted her as he walked into the central hallway, "how are you doing?"  
"Not so good," She replied, "I've been feeling sick lately from the chemo,"  
"Sorry to hear that," He said, trying to hide his anxiety. Ghinius knew that her condition was getting worse. She was getting paler and weaker, and she was prone to infections, at least that was what her doctor said. Sakura could sense his anxiety, and for some reason, it made her worried as well.  
"It's okay, I think I'll be fine," She sighed.  
"Well, got to get to class, so, I'll see you later," He said, kissing her on the cheek.  
"Bye Ghinius," She said as they went to their separate classes. They wouldn't see each other again until third period, Biology, the class they shared. Until then, all they could do was wait.  
By now, everyone in Sakuras' classes knew about her illness, being that the teachers had told them. So, she was becoming somewhat of a local celebrity, and the subject of numerous rumors. She didn't necessarily like it, but she figured that since these sort of things never usually happen at school, it was only human nature to talk about the "sick girl".  
Ghinius had also been getting a fair amount of attention, since he was the boyfriend of the "sick girl". Though, it wasn't all that bad, because he and Sakura were getting a lot of sympathy from their peers. Even so, it still didn't help her ever-worsening condition.  
Finally, it was time for third period. Ghinius and Sakura took their seats, and waited for their teacher. She walked in, and instructed the students to open their books. However, as the rest of the students did as they were told, Sakura, feeling nauseous, raised her hand.  
"Yes Sakura," The teacher responded.  
"I'm beginning to feel sick, may I go to the nurse or something?" She asked.  
"Yes you may," And in an instant, Sakura walked out the room. Some of the students began to whisper about her having special privileges because she was sick, but the teacher soon shushed them. For the next fifteen minutes or so, the class went on without Sakura, and Ghinius went on worrying about her. Finally, she came back, looking slightly better.  
"What did I miss, Ghinius?" Sakura whispered to him.  
"Not much, hey, what happened in the clinic?" He murmured back.  
"Oh, the nurse just gave me some medication, nothing major,"  
"Sakura, please stop talking to your little boyfriend and have a seat," The teacher interrupted loudly.  
"Yes Mrs. Harrison," Sakura said, taking her seat.  
The rest of the day was fairly uneventful, though Sakura had to make quite a few trips to the clinic. When school was finally out, the first thing she did was go see Ghinius. She couldn't see him for very long though, for she had to go to the hospital for a routine appointment.  
"Ghinius!" She called out to him at the front entrance.  
"Hi Sakura, how was the day?" He replied as the two sat down on a bench.  
"Could have been better, I've been getting sick all day,"  
"Oh, sorry. Hey, don't you have an appointment today?"  
"Yes, I'm waiting for my ride, one of the staff at the home is taking me to the hospital,"  
"Are you going to have chemo?"  
"Maybe, depending on how well I am," She said. A car soon drove up, and Sakura, this being her ride, got into it.  
"Bye, and call me once the appointment's over, I want to know if you'll keep going to school," Ghinius said as she got into the car.  
"Okay, I will," The car then drove off. Ghinius then began the trek home, but was practically overcome by anxiety on the walk. He finally arrived home, only to be greeted by Ayna yet again.  
"Heeeeeey big brother," Ayna chimed.  
"Ayna, please leave, I'm not in the mood,"  
"Ooooooh, did your girlfriend dump you?" She asked playfully, not knowing of the serious situation.  
"No Ayna! Just leave me alone for once,"  
"Oh, touchy," She then scurried off. Ghinius headed up to his room, to wait for Sakuras' phone call. He waited for about forty-five minutes, when the phone finally rang. He answered it promptly, and, just as he expected, Sakura was on the other line.  
"So how did it go?" He asked nervously.  
"Not so good, Dr. Higgens said that my white-blood cell count is dangerously low," She sighed.  
"Are you going to be hospitalized?"  
"I'm afraid so, at least until I get back my strength," She answered, depressed, "well, I guess that's all the news to report,"  
"Oh, well, I guess I'll have to visit you at the hospital then," Ghinius sighed, depressed by the news.  
"Well, I have to get going, I hope to see you soon,"  
"Same to you, bye," He said as they both hung up. Ghinius laid down on his bed, thoughts racing through his mind. He though about her having to be hospitalized, and reminisced about his own illness. He was reminded about how many times he had to be hospitalized, and how many times he was too sick to go to school. He remembered how he spent most of his middle- school years in the hospital, and how he was the "sick kid". So he understood well what Sakura was going through. He thought some more, until he heard a knock.  
"Who is it now?" He asked depressively.  
"Oh, sir, I just wanted to check on you," Norris stated as he walked in, "are you worried about that girl?"  
"Yeah, she's going to have to be hospitalized now," He sighed, "she said her white-blood cell count was low, or something,"  
"Well, all I can say is to try to think about something else,"  
"Easier said than done,"  
"Just try to think positive sir, and hope for the best," Norris said as he walked out, "come downstairs if you want anything,"  
"Like I would want anything," Ghinius thought to himself. Though, after thinking for awhile, he decided to take Norris' advice and tried to get his mind off of Sakura. So he turned on his t.v., and found it was on the news. It was covering some speech by some man, who looked strangely familiar.  
"Isn't that Garmas' father?" Ghinius thought. The man was talking about something called the Duchy of Zeon, and there was a man standing next to him who also looked familiar. Ghinius realized that the other man was Garmas' eldest brother Giren, having seen a picture of him with Garma before. He remembered how Garmas' father had taken control of Side 3 a while back, and now they were planning to go against the Earth Federation. His thoughts then drifted to Sakura, and how she said that she didn't want the colonies to go to war. Ghinius turned off the t.v. and laid back down on his bed, when he heard Ayna.  
"Hey big brother, Garmas' dad is on t.v.," She said, standing at her brothers rooms' doorway.  
"So I saw, Ayna do you even know why he's on t.v.,"  
"Ummm, Garma said that his daddy rules the colony now, and that's why he's on t.v.," Ayna said as Ghinius shut the door in her face, "hey, open up! I'm telling Norris!"  
"Ayna, I'm going through some stuff right now, and I want to be left alone,"  
"What do you mean 'going through some stuff',"  
"I'm just going through some difficult times, now leave,"  
"Ooooh, your girlfriend dumped you,"  
"You already said that, and I gave you the answer, now leave,"  
"Oooh, you got PMS," Ayna chimed as Ghinius opened the door.  
"Do you even know what PMS is Ayna?!" Ghinius said angrily.  
"Yes, and you have it,"  
"No you don't, if you did, you would know that there is no way in hell that I can have PMS," Ghinius said slyly, "go ask Norris, he'll clear it up for you," And with that, Ayna ran off, and Ghinius shut and locked his door. Now, he could finally have some peace, but his thoughts yet again drifted to Sakura...  
  
Well, this fic is about half-way done, but I don't know how many more chapters it's gonna' have. And I thank kishiria for that review, but I did spell "myelocytic" "myelocitic". But that's just a minor thing;. Anyway, I want some reviews people! I want to how I can improve on it! 


	10. Visit

Wow, chapter ten...

Chapter Ten: Visit

Late-Feburary, U.C. 0070

Sakura had been hospitalized for a few weeks now, and Ghinius made it his responsibility to visit her at least once a week. Even though he appeared calm during these visits, he was a nervous wreak inside. The only person he had ever fallen for was seriously ill, and the only thing he could do was provide emotional support. He still hadn't told Ayna about Sakura, though, because he felt she was too immature and wouldn't understand how serious the situation was. But today he was somewhat excited, for today was Friday and he could visit Sakura. But first he had to get through a day of school, which could be hell these days. His peers would constantly ask about Sakura, and while he found the sympathy comforting, it got irritating after a while.

Ghinius made his way to Biology, the class he and Sakura used to share. He couldn't help but get choked up when he walked to it without her. But his thoughts were interrupted as he walked into Biology, for he was greeted by a loud and rather rude "Hey, how's the sick girl,".

Exasperated, he replied, "She's fine,". Their teacher, Mrs. Harrison, walked in after a few moments and began the lesson. But, as always, Ghinius could not pay attention. His thoughts were focused on _her_. He had to be reminded several times to pay attention before the period was over. But soon after each reminder, he sank back into his world of anxiety and wonder about Sakura.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Biology was over and it was lunch break. Ghinius sat by himself, as usual. He didn't really eat much, and he seemed to zone off the entire time.

Eventually, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break. Ghinius packed up his things and headed to his locker. He had one more period before school was over, so by now he was quite excited. He just had to get through World History, and then he could go to the hospital. He got his textbook out of his locker and headed to class, but not without several more people inquiring about Sakura. He told them that she was doing okay, and soon arrived at the classroom.

The class went as usual, and before Ghinius knew it, it was time for dismissal. He walked to the hospital, being that it was in walking distance, and arrived shortly. He then went up to the front desk, signed in, and headed for the pediatric ward. Once he got there, he was somewhat surprised to find that Sakura was not in her room, but in the playroom instead. She sat at a large table, and was making paper cranes with several children. Sensing Ghinius' presence in the room, Sakura looked up.

"Hello Ghinius, I see you just got out of school," She said, noting that he was still in his black school uniform.

"Well, I came here directly from school, so I obviously couldn't change," He laughed.

"Sakura, is that your boyfriend?" A little boy with thinning, black hair and brown eyes asked.

"Yes he is, Kenji," She smiled, "Ghinius, this is Kenji, he also has leukemia," She then introduced the other children, "and this is Fredrica, she has a heart condition," she pointed to a little black girl with pigtails, "and this is Christopher, he has a bad case of pneumonia," she addressed a boy with short, dirty-blond hair.

"I see you're making paper cranes," Ghinius said as he sat down with them.

"Yup, and she's even gonna' let us use her fancy paper," Fredrica said excitedly.

"Not until you guys get the hang of it, Fredrica. I don't want you guys messing up and wasting the nice paper that Ghinius here bought,"

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to see the expensive stuff go to waste," Ghinius stated, "like she said, I bought it,"

"So, what have you been up to, Ghinius?" Sakura asked.

"Nothing much," He replied, starting to fold a crane of his own, "how bought' you?"

"Well, all the paper you've bought me sure has kept me busy!" She laughed, "and so have these little rascals," She jokingly addressed the children.

"Umm, Sakura, I think I messed up on the crane again," Kenji, said quietly, holding up a ripped crane.

"Oh, Kenji, that's okay, here's another piece of paper," She said, handing him a new square of paper.

"Yeah, when she first was trying to teach me how to make a crane, mine looked like it was run over by a truck," Ghinius joked, "oh yes, Sakura, I brought you some classwork," He got up and walked over to his backpack, which he had put against the wall. He pulled out some books and papers, and then handed them to her.

"That must be heavy, having to carry my books as well as your own," Sakura said.

"I get used to it,"

"Well, take it easy, I don't want you straining your back or anything,"

"Anyway, you seem like your getting better, Sakura, but is your blood count still low?"

"I think so. Dr. Higgens says I'm still not well enough to go back to school yet," She sighed, "but I did have chemo a few days ago,"

"Oh," Ghinius sighed. He knew how she felt, not being able to go to school and all. Throughout most of his middle school years, he had to miss a lot of school due to his illness. Back then, he was the "sick boy" and everyone wanted to know how _he _was doing.

"Have the kids at school been asking about me?"

"They have, to put it lightly. As soon as I walked in to the Biology room today, somebody shouted 'How's Sakura?' or something like that,"

"Well, at least their sympathetic. Anyway, how's your sister?"

"As annoying as ever, but she's just really immature," Ghinius replied, though he didn't tell Sakura what was partially the cause of Ayna's immaturity. When he was a child, he remembered seeing his mother shake Ayna violently, even though she was just a baby at the time. He read that babies who were shaken could have developmental disabilities, and though Ayna was of average intellect, she had trouble with math and language.

"Oh my," She chuckled, "but like you said, she's just immature,".

The children continued to make cranes until a nurse walked in and informed them that the colony lights would be turned off soon, and that the patients would have to go to bed. She then walked out.

"Well, I guess I have to leave," Ghinius stated.

"Bye Ghin," Sakura said as the two embraced each other. Ghinius kissed her on the cheek, and then walked out.

He walked home as usual, getting there just as the lights turned out. He punched in the code to the gate, and was greeted at the door by Norris.

"How is she, Sir?" He asked.

"Well, she's a bit better, but she still can't go back to school,"

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that,"

"Is Ayna in bed, Norris?" Ghinius inquired.

"Yes, she is, Sir," He stated. Unknown to the both of them, Ayna was not in bed at all. Instead, she was in the hallway, listening to their conversation.

"I'd better get to bed as well, Norris," Ghinius said, making his way upstairs. As he did, Ayna secretly scurried back to her room. She knew that something was up with her brother, but she had no idea what it was.

Ghinius laid down on his bed. He was quite tired, and without even realizing it, drifted to sleep. Ayna, who couldn't sleep, was secretly roaming the house when she went to her brother's room. He was mumbling something in his sleep, something that sounded like the word "Sakura". Ayna was puzzled. What or who was Sakura? She continued to listen, until she to felt sleepy and fell asleep on the floor outside her brother's room...

Well, I kinnda' rushed this chapter. I was trying to get it done in a hurry, OK!!!!!! And I am REALLY running out of names for titles of chapters, here. And as always, I want some reviews!!!!


	11. Pain

Another chappie...

Chapter Eleven: Pain

Mid-March, U.C. 0070

A few weeks had passed, and Sakura's condition had rapidly deteriorated. She was so weak that she could barely get out of bed, none the less, walk around. Ghinius, of course, was an emotional wreak. He didn't sleep or eat much, and forgot to take his medication on many occasions. Norris could see that he too was getting weaker, and was very worried. What if his illness came back? What would they do?

But there was a much greater concern that encompassed all of Side 3, and that was the fear that war with the Earth was imminent. This had been on the minds of everyone since the Zabis had taken control of the Side. Ghinius and Norris supported the Zabis somewhat, since the Sakhalins had known them for quite a while. But this was the least of Ghinius's concerns, due to Sakura's illness. At this point, he really didn't care what happened, just as long as she would be fine. So, on this Saturday morning, he was trying to get some much-needed rest, when he heard _someone_ running into his room. He barely had time to realize who it was, until that someone hopped up onto his bed and started to shake him violently.

"Ghinius get Uuuuuuuup," Ayna chimed as she tried to awaken her brother.

"Ayna, stop that, and why do I have to get up?" The half-asleep blond replied.

"Cause' Garma's coming over,"

"So, why the hell do I have to get up just cause' Garma's coming over?"

"Because we want to buuuuuug you," She said as Ghinius groggily got out of bed. But much to Ayna's dismay, he just shoved her out the room, and locked the door behind him. He tried to go back to sleep, but he heard a car pull up a few minutes later. It was Garma.

The violet-haired came running up the stairs, and when he reached the top, Ayna quickly informed him of the situation. The two suddenly began to pound on Ghinius' door, hoping to get him out of bed. Ghinius couldn't take it anymore, and after a few seconds he opened the door, shouting "I'm up! Happy now!"

"Ooh, Ayna, we got him REAL mad this time," The purple-haired boy giggled.

"Don't even start little boy, I'm not in the mood. That goes for you too, Ayna," Ghinius threatened as he walked downstairs, still in his sleeping shorts and shirt. He went downstairs, took his medication, and headed back upstairs to get a shower and change. He was planning to visit Sakura later, so he had to be ready.

After his shower, Ghinius dressed in one of his everyday outfits, a white T-shirt with a long-sleeved, unbuttoned plaid flannel shirt over it, baggy jeans, and black converse high-tops. It certainly wasn't fancy, but it was comfortable, and that's what mattered most. He headed back downstairs, and was about to go out the door when Ayna yelled, "Where are you going?"

"It's none of your business, Ayna," He yelled back.

"Oooh, hear that, Garma,"

"Yup, he's probably gonna' go get laid somewhere," Garma sung.

"Shut up! And what is with you guy's fascination with getting laid, anyway?" He said, trying to leave as fast as he could.

"Cause' you're gonna' get some," Ayna squealed. Ayna and Garma then ran off, and Ghinius breathed a sigh of relief. Ayna could be a pest at times, but Ghinius still loved her. She was, after all, his only remaining blood relative.

But Ayna's pestering was negligible; he was more focused on walking to the hospital than anything else. He was quite anxious to see Sakura, whom he had not heard from in several days. They often wrote each other letters, and the last one that she sent was from a few days ago. Ghinius could see that her handwriting was getting sloppier, and that certainly wasn't good. She was losing her strength, something that he had known for weeks, but still didn't want to believe. Ghinius feared that her end might be near, but tried not to focus on that, and keep his thoughts in the present.

So, Ghinius made his way to the hospital, but first stopped by the local florist to buy some roses for Sakura. He would always get her things like that, and in return she would make him origami. It was the least he could do to cheer her up, for he knew all too well that hospitals could be quite dreary. She liked getting things like flowers to decorate her room with, and they were also something to get the sterile hospital smell out, too. Ghinius wished that he had someone who came with gifts during his time at the hospital, but that was around the time his father died, and everyone seemed to be more focused on that then anything else at the time.

Ghinius finally arrived at the hospital, and did the usual routine of checking in and walking to the pediatric ward. Meanwhile, Sakura was just sitting in her room, bored to death, until she sensed Ghinius' presence and perked up. Moments later, Ghinius entered the room with a bouquet of roses.

"Oh, hello Ghinius," She stated weakly. She was attached to various tubes and monitors, which further worried Ghinius.

"Hey," He said, trying to keep himself together, "brought you some roses,"

"Ghinius, they're beautiful! Thank you," She exclaimed as he put them in a nearby vase. He went over and hugged her, and then sat down in a chair next to her bed.

"So, what have you been up to?" He asked.

"Nothing really, since I can't get out of bed much. It gets quite boring, but I can always write you letters and make origami,"

"Yeah, I got your last letter a few days ago. I liked the origami flower you put in it, and I put it in a box so Ayna wouldn't mess with it,"

"That's good, by the way, what has Ayna been up to?"

"Being a pest, as usual," He sighed, "have your doctors said anything?"

"Well, they say my condition is worsening," She sighed, "but you already know that,"

"Let's just hope you get better, Sakura. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you," Ghinius said, taking on a more serious tone. Just the very thought of her dying made him feel like crying. He pulled the chair closer to Sakura's bed and started holding her hand.

"Don't worry, I'm not giving up hope anytime soon," She smiled. But this did little to comfort Ghinius, who was by now trying his hardest to hold back sobs. It broke his heart to see her hooked up to all these tubes and monitors, and he felt as though he couldn't contain his emotions any further. Sakura could sense this, and squeezed his hand to comfort him.

"Sakura,I...I," Ghinius said as tear ran down his cheek, "Sakura, what happens if you DO die, I don't think I could take it," Sakura pulled Ghinius closer to her body, running her finger through his hair. Ghinius was now sobbing, and Sakura was doing her best to console him.

"It's okay, it's okay," She murmured soothingly, "I'm here now, and that's all that matters,"

"But if you die, I won't have anyone left," Ghinius wept in her arms. Sakura was now feeling overcome by Ghinius' sadness and pain, and she too shed a tear.

"That's not true. You'll still have Ayna and Norris," She said, trying to control her emotions as well, "and try not to think about things like that, we don't know what's going to happen at this point,"

"You're right, but I can't help thinking about you dying," He cried.

The two held each other until they felt they gotten their emotions under control. After a few minutes, Ghinius had calmed down considerably. They resumed chatting about various things, but Ghinius tried not to think about Sakura's frail condition. They talked for what seemed like hours, neither one of them wanting the visit to end. But, like all things, it had to come to an end. Ghinius was supposed to be back in time for dinner, and Sakura had to eat, too.

At around five o' clock, Ghinius kissed her goodbye and headed back. The walk back was somewhat depressing, as usual. He arrived back feeling quite exhausted, for Sakura's ordeal was taking an immense physical and emotional toll on him. When he opened the front door, he was greeted by Norris, as well as Ayna's squeals in the background.

"Good evening, Sir," Norris stated.

"Hey Norris," He said weakly.

"Oooooooooooh, he's back, Garma!" Ayna hollered.

"Ayna, please, I'm not in the mood," Ghinius mumbled, heading up to his room.

"Sir, don't you want some dinner?" Norris questioned as Ghinius walked up the stairs.

"Nah, I'm not hungry," He said as he shut the door to his room.

"But Sir," Norris protested. He knew that Ghinius was losing his strength, and he despiratly wanted to help him. Norris cared deeply for Ghinius and Ayna, for he had single-handedly raised them for the past few years. He had been their guardian ever since their father died, and event that Ghinius still hadn't fully recovered from.

"Oooh, he's anorexic," Garma squealed.

"Oooooooh, yeah he is!" Ayna sang. She and Garma chimmed on about it until Norris told them to stop. A few minutes later, a car pulled up in the driveway, and a young girl with long, reddish-brown hair tied back in a ponytail stepped out.

"Garma!" She yelled, "we're here, so get your butt out!"

"Comin' Kish!" He yelled back.

"Garma, who's that?" Ayna asked.

"That's my sister, I gotta' go," He replied as he ran out the door. He ran up to the car and got in, just as Ayna appeared at the doorway.

"Bye Garma!" She yelled.

"Bye!" He yelled back as the car drove away. Ayna ran back in and ploped down in front of the T.V., oblivious to her brother's situation. Ghinius had since drifted to sleep out of pure exhaustion, as Norris soon discovered as he went to check on him.

"_That's good Sir, get some rest_," Norris thought as he watched Ghinius sleep for a second, before walking on...

Well, this chappie was kinnda' rushed too, but what can I say? I don't know, well, um yeah, just R&R!


	12. Kishiria

Finally, a chapter…

Chapter 12: Kishiria

Mid-April, U.C. 0070

Another month had passed, and Sakura's condition had improved somewhat. Ghinius was overjoyed at any improvement in her condition and looked forward to every day he spent with her. But he couldn't go and visit her today, even though it was a Saturday. Today he needed to get some much-needed rest and relaxation, though that might be difficult. Garma was coming over yet again, and this time his older sister was invited as well. She was invited because their father had business to attend to, and he didn't want his youngest children getting in the way. But Ghinius knew that Garma's sister, Kishiria, wouldn't be too much trouble. She was only three years younger than he was and she also went to his school. And she could even help keep Garma and Ayna under control, he figured. So maybe it wasn't such a bad thing.

Ghinius had awoken at about six o' clock in the morning, after having fallen asleep at around midnight. He had been up all that time pondering and worrying about the day ahead, and by the time Ayna was up he was certainly not very well-rested. As soon as she was up, Ayna came running into Ghinius' room, singing, "Garma's comin' over, Garma's comin' over,"

Ghinius just sat up and groaned, "I know damn it! I was up all night worrying about it!"

"Ooooooh, that means we're gonna' bug you extra, Oooooooh," Ayna squealed.

"You better not," Ghinius mumbled as he got out of bed. He got up and walked slowly downstairs as Ayna followed in close proximity. Norris was awake as well, and greeted them when they got downstairs. Their breakfast was already on the table, and Norris did his usual routine of making sure Ghinius took his daily cocktail of pills. But Norris could tell that Ghinius hadn't had much sleep, and inquired him about it.

"Sir, you look tired," He said, "did you get enough sleep?"

"I'm afraid not," He yawned, "I fell asleep at midnight; woke up at around six,"

"Yeah, so me and Garma are gonna' bug him extra!" Ayna butted in.

"Ayna, don't say that! How would you like it if someone was irritating you when you've had only six hours of sleep," Norris lectured Ayna.

Norris, Ghinius, and Ayna spent the rest of their breakfast in silence. Afterwards, Ayna ran off and sat down next to the front window. Ghinius eventually sat down next to her, and the two said nothing until Ghinius remarked, "So, I see you're waiting for your boyfriend,"

"He is not my boyfriend!" Ayna yelled, "and even if I had one, at least he didn't dump me like your girlfriend did!"

Ghinius immediately began to feel rage towards Ayna, and was about to say something very vulgar to her when he remembered that she didn't know anything about what _really_ happened to Sakura. So, he just kept it in and said nothing. Ayna didn't say anything after that, either. This silence went on for about thirty minutes or so, until a car pulled up in the driveway and Ayna squealed, "They're here, THEY'RE HERE!"

"Oh _God_," Ghinius muttered to himself as Garma, Kishiria, and their eldest brother Ghiren got out of the car. Norris walked to the front door to greet them as Ghinius and Ayna stood up.

"Hello Sir Ghiren, I see you drove your siblings here today," Norris said to Ghiren, "doesn't your father usually drive Garma here?"

"Well, my father was busy," The twenty-five year old man stated, his siblings standing quietly behind him, "and I see that Ghinius and Ayna have grown quite a bit since I last saw them,"

"Yeah, when you last saw us, big brother hadn't gone through puberty yet!" Ayna butted in, "You know it took him three months to crack his voice and..."

"Ayna, BE QUIET! I bet you don't even know puberty is!" Ghinius shushed Ayna.

"I guess I'll be leaving," Ghiren said, "Garma, Kishiria, have fun," He then walked back to his car, got in, and drove off. As soon as he left, Garma and Ayna ran off, leaving Ghinius and Kishiria alone in the hallway.

Kishiria was dressed in baggy black pants, red converse, and a black T-shirt that read, "Save a cow, eat a vegetarian". Her reddish-brown hair was tied back in a ponytail and her fingernails were painted with black nail-polish. For a minute, Ghinius and Kishiria just stood there, not saying anything. But then Kishiria stated, "So, I presume you're Ayna's brother,"

"Yeah, and I presume you're Garma's sister," Ghinius replied.

"Yup, Garma told me about you; he says you're always being mean to him,"

"Yeah well, he and Ayna can be quite annoying sometimes," Ghinius shrugged, "You want to watch TV or something?"

"I guess," She said, sounding bored. They walked off towards the living room, but before they got there, Kishiria announced that she was hungry.

"Hey...Ayna's brother, I'm kinnda' hungry; where's the kitchen?" She said.

"Follow me," He sighed. Ghinius wasn't exactly thrilled to have Kishiria around, but at least she wasn't nearly as irritating her younger brother. So he led her to the kitchen and soon as they walked in she began to look through the cabinets and the fridge. She eventually found a bag of chips in the pantry, which she proceeded to open and indulge in.

"So," Kishiria stated between mouthfuls of chips, "where do you think my brother and Ayna ran off to?"

"Eh, they're probably in Ayna's room trying to kiss or something," Ghinius replied.

"Hey!" A small voice squealed from behind the doorway, "we aren't trying to kiss; unlike you and your ex-girlfriend,"

"Ayna! When did you get down here?" Ghinius said feeling rather agitated.

"A few minutes ago," Garma piped in. They both walked out from behind the doorway and came into the kitchen. It didn't take long for Garma to notice his sister munching on the chips, "Oooooooh, you're gonna' get fat, sis, if you keep eatin' those chips, Ooooooh," He said sing-songingly.

"Shut up, Garma! Don't make me come over there and kick you in the groin!" Kishiria responded. Her threat seemed to work because Garma immediately shut his mouth and ran off with Ayna.

"Hey, um, Kishiria," Ghinius mumbled, "when are you going to be done with those chips?"

"Now," She said as she stopped eating and put the chips back in the pantry. The two resumed staring at each other until Ghinius broke the silence.

"So, what do you want to do now?" The blond inquired. Even though they were close in age, Ghinius had no idea as to what the young girl might want to do. She was essentially still a child, so he tried to think about what entertained him when he was her age.

But the only thing he could remember was the pain of constant illness. He had few friends at that age due to the fact that he was out of school so often, and when he was actually in school, the other children tended to shun him. They didn't want to be around him because they didn't know what to think about him. They told all sorts of rumors about him; that he had AIDS, that he was just feigning illness to get out of school, that he was going to die, and other things of that nature.

However, Ghinius did remember one boy who at least attempted to associate with him. His name was Yuri Kerane, a tall, brown-haired boy a year older than him (though they were in the same grade, on account that Yuri was held back in fourth grade). He went to elementary and middle school with Ghinius, but once they entered the ninth grade they went off to different schools. At the time, they were almost polar-opposites. Yuri was tall for his age, and Ghinius was always small and frail. Yuri was very outgoing, sometimes to the point of rudeness, while as Ghinius was shy and kept to himself. Ghinius sometimes wondered what became of Yuri, but lately he had been so busy with other things that he didn't care.

Ghinius reminisced about these things for a moment, only to be interrupted by Kishiria answering his question.

"I guess I want to go check out your room," She stated.

"Okay," He shrugged, "c'mon, it's upstairs," He then led her upstairs to his room. Upon entering, Kishiria immediately took notice of the various origami models on the desk. She also noted that the room was very well-kept, so she figured that Ghinius must like things organized and clean. It reminded her of her eldest brother Ghiren, who was quite meticulous when it came to things of that nature. But she focused her attention back on the origami models, and therefore walked over to the desk to look at them.

"What's this?" She questioned as she picked up an origami flower.

"A paper flower," Ghinius replied.

"There are a lot of these paper things; did you make them?" Kishiria questioned further as she picked up and looked at more of them.

"No, I didn't," Ghinius stated as he started to think about Sakura.

"Well, who did then?" She asked curiously.

For a moment, Ghinius didn't know how to answer. Should he tell her about Sakura? He didn't really like telling other people about her because it made him depressed. But he knew he had no other alternative; Kishiria asked and therefore should get an answer.

"Um, my girlfriend did," He replied slightly upset.

"Cool, these things are neat," She commented, continuing to rummage through Ghinius's things. She eventually found the box where he kept the letters from Sakura and picked one up. Ghinius soon became uneasy; that was his business and no one else's. Kishiria began to read it silently, and all the while Ghinius was anxious as to what she would say.

"Kishiria, I don't really want you reading…"

"Is this from your girlfriend too?" She interrupted.

"Yes," Ghinius stated nervously. Kishiria continued to read the letter, and was beginning to get a grasp on what was going on.

"What's this about hospitalization? Is she sick or something?" Kishiria asked.

"Yes, she is," Ghinius answered solemnly, "she has leukemia,"

"Oh," Kishiria put down the letter and sat on the bed next to Ghinius, "I'm sorry,"

"It's okay," He murmured.

"How is she doing?"

"Well, her doctors' say that she's getting better, but we're not out of the woods yet," Ghinius replied as he picked up an origami bird. He put it down after a few moments and lay down on his bed.

"Does your sister know?" She questioned.

"No, I haven't told her. I think she's too immature and wouldn't understand it," Ghinius replied, "like when our father died,"

"Your father died?" Kishiria asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yeah, when I was fourteen. My mother abandoned us when I was nine and my dad got so depressed that he started doing heroin and drinking," Ghinius said depressively, "one day, he disappeared, and we got a phone call that someone had found him passed out on a sidewalk somewhere. He was taken to a hospital, but he died a few days later, never regaining consciousness. The doctors determined that it was a heroin overdose, but they didn't know if it was accidental or intentional. Of course, Ayna didn't really understand what had happened to him; after all, she was only seven,"

"It must be hard," Kishiria replied, "not having your parents around,"

"Yeah, but I got used to it," He said, "but I don't know what I'll do if Sakura dies,"

"You mean your girlfriend?" Kishiria commented.

"Yeah," Ghinius answered, "that's her name,"

"Well," Kishiria stated, "you just have to keep praying for her, and you can't focus on the negatives,"

"I know, but it's hard not to dwell on the what-ifs; if I lose her I won't really have anyone left,"

"You'll have Ayna," Kishiria pointed out.

"You know," Ghinius smiled slightly, "Sakura said almost the same thing to me when I visited her a few weeks ago," He then turned to Kishiria, "but if I lose her I still don't think Ayna would be much comfort,"

"Yeah, she IS only ten, and like you said, really immature," Kishiria stood up, "what can we do now?"

"I dunno, we could go find Ayna and your brother," Ghinius stood up as well, "and see what they're up to,"

Ghinius and Kishiria walked off and headed towards Ayna's room, but found that Garma and Ayna were elsewhere. Ghinius then led Kishiria out to the backyard, where they discovered them playing in the mud. The ten-year olds knew that this was something they were not permitted to do, so when they noticed their older siblings they immediately attempted to flee.

"Garma, get your ass over here right now!" Kishiria shouted to her younger brother, who then turned round and slowly trotted back. Ayna followed unhurriedly because the two knew that they were in trouble. A few moments later Norris walked out and immediately took notice of the situation, not ceasing in the least to scold Ayna and Garma.

"Miss Ayna, what do you think you were doing!" Norris scolded, "and you too, Garma, what were you thinking?"

"We were playin' in the mud," Ayna stated reluctantly.

"Well, you two march inside and clean up," Norris gestured towards the back door, "and take off those filthy clothes. I bet your father is going to be REALLY pleased when he hears about this, Garma,"

"Are you gonna' call him!" Garma panicked.

"What do ya' think, stupid!" Kishiria stated sarcastically.

Garma and Ayna plodded gloomily towards the back door, only to be stopped by a loud, "Ayna! Garma! Don't even THINK about going inside like that," Norris boomed, "you're going to have to take off the muddy clothes on the back porch,"

Ghinius, who had been silent for a most of the incident, laughed quietly as Garma and Ayna stripped down to their undergarments on the porch. Once the children were denuded, Norris went inside, taking the soiled clothes with him to be washed. But as he left, he instructed Ghinius to hose the children down. Ghinius didn't waste a moment in getting the hose and turning it on, but just as he was doing so the ten-year olds ran off.

"Garma, Ayna, get over here right now!" He shouted at them, "do you want me to get Norris out here again?"

Ayna and Garma stopped upon hearing that; if Norris came out, they would be in even bigger trouble. They walked slowly towards Ghinius, who proceeded to hose them down.

"Eeeeeeeh, it's cold!" Ayna squealed as the water hit her.

"Well, now you know not to play in the mud wearing your good clothes," Ghinius remarked slyly. Once he finished cleaning the children, Ghinius walked off. But once his back was turned, Garma whispered something to Ayna, who went and turned on the hose again. Within seconds, Ghinius was sopping wet and the youngsters were in hysterics. Ghinius turned to face them angrily, cursing, "Damn you Ayna, damn you Garma!"

"Ooooooooooh, he said the'd' word at us," Ayna chirped. Kishiria chuckled to herself as Ghinius ran after their younger siblings, Garma still spraying him constantly with the hose. But her laughter ended abruptly, because her brother soon sprayed her as well.

"Damn it Garma! You soaked my good clothes!" She stated as she began to run after them too. The four minors continued to run about, Ghinius and Kishiria tried to catch their siblings and Garma and Ayna tried to evade and further torment them. Their antics went on for a few minutes more until Garma and Kishiria's father walked into the backyard, looking considerably angered.

"Garma, what do you think you're doing!" He yelled, causing his son to stop in his tracks.

"Um, well, we were just playing," He replied sheepishly.

"Norris called and told me all about it, you were playing in the mud and ruined your good clothes," Degin Rodo Zabi (Kishiria and Garma's father) boomed, "both of you, get in the car NOW! Garma, you can't even begin to imagine how much trouble you're in,"

"What's gonna' happen?" Garma panicked.

"Well, for one, I don't think you're going to be coming over here for a while," Degin stated as his children got in the car reluctantly.

Garma waved solemnly at Ayna from the car as they drove off. Once the Zabis were gone, Ghinius and Ayna went back into their home. Norris walked out from the laundry room and instructed them to change into something dry for dinner, which they did promptly. Dinner was on the table when they came back downstairs, but they ate it silently. After they were finished, the siblings went back upstairs to prepare for bed. It was already getting close to artificial night, and Ghinius was by now exhausted from the day.

Ghinius walked into his room and plopped down onto the bed. Even though he was tired, he decided to write to Sakura. He grabbed a pen and paper and began to write. He wrote of the day and other things that had been going on, about how Kishiria liked her origami, and about the "mud" incident. He told her the usual about how he wished she were better and was looking forward to seeing her. He wrote it in his delicate, almost feminine handwriting and finished it off by telling her he loved her. He put the finished letter on his bedside table, turned out the light, and almost immediately fell asleep…

Well, what do ya' guys think about that chapter, eh? First one without Sakura being physically in it, so I think it was interesting. As always, I would LOVE some reviews, so PLEASE do so. Anyway, I hope ya'll liked all the cameos in this chappie, so, um, yeah.


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